NEWMEN

NEWMEN is a story about male vulnerability and connection. We need your help to fund the documentary film. DONATE NOW!

THE STORY
Deep, unclear male voices mumble softly in the background. From close up we see the alert eyes of a man. The scene widens showing a man sitting among a group of other men. The rest looks blurry and unclear. In the quiet and tense atmosphere, a man's voice starts explaining the reason for the retreat.

Welcome to the arena of our documentary film. A place where men come to reflect.
“Men’s Retreats UK” is an organization that, among other things, hosts retreats for all types of men across England. Their aim is to promote a deeper connection within men, to themselves, society, and nature. Through honest conversations and workshops over the course of a weekend, 14 men, who have never met before will join together to start reflecting. Who and where are they in life right now, and where do they want to be moving forward? This, in a space of brotherhood and non-judgement. In our film, we are going to follow three of these men, each with their own challenges and reasons for joining the retreat. We want to open up the conversation about men and show how daring to be open and vulnerable with other men can lead to meaningful connections and improved self-worth.

- How does being open about emotions & struggles benefit the wellbeing of men? -

About us
We are Noah Knudtzon and Pelle Kuipers. We are young and ambitious filmmakers. Respectively from Denmark and the Netherlands. Pelle has primarily been working on writing and making fiction films and has an interest in visual storytelling. Noah has experience with shorter non-fiction productions and he is especially interested in portraying real characters. Also, we are men.

Why are we making this documentary?
Pelle: I started to see men in a less positive light. This hindered my ability to find my role within male groups. It was this recognition that motivated me to initiate this film project.

Noah: I want to make a film that encourages open and vulnerable conversations between men. I feel like the conversation about men’s mental health is really closed and that it is a difficult subject to discuss due to men’s present and past role in society.

We think this might come from a movement which actually is really good for society: Emancipation and Feminism. Films and literature with these subjects often talk about the destructive acts of men and issues of unjust dominance, and unfortunately these portrayals come close to things that happen in reality. The movement has united women, and things like #MeToo shows how more women are feeling confident to speak out. Western society is slowly accepting gender equality; The media is mostly against oppression; and sexism is less accepted than ever… yet still it happens.

Let’s focus on engaging more with men. We're not saying to stop talking about women's issues in the media; it's essential. However most of us men don’t recognize ourselves in these portrayals. So we distance ourselves from other men or we deny societal issues altogether. If someone is going to be an ally we need them to connect to the movement without creating division.

How? We want men to start looking inwards so let's start telling stories about both the struggling men and male role models within this conversation of gender equality. That's the next step towards emancipation.

- The emancipation of men is an emotional one. -

How can you help us?
We need financial support to be able to rent equipment and cover travel expenses. With this campaign we are aiming for 6000 euros which will be enough to make the documentary a reality.

All donations are very much appreciated and we have created some perks that you can unlock by donating a certain amount.

If you aren’t able to support us financially you can still help us by following and sharing our posts on social media:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/newmen_doc/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553309911376

If you are intrested in Men's Retreats UK, you can check out their website: https://www.mensretreatsuk.co.uk/

Words from Men’s Retreats UK
In a world where men’s mental health is being discussed more than ever before, alongside the judgments placed on who and what men should be, there is a lot of pressure, guilt and blame placed on men, simply for being men!

The “men’s work” movement has taken off in the last few years. Retreats for men are becoming ever more popular as a way for men to engage in self-exploration, community and brotherhood.

All of which improves health, wellbeing and a better functioning society.

Premiere
“New Men” will premiere in June 2024 where it will be shown at the CampusDoc film festival taking place at Louis Hartlooper Complex in Utrecht. We are also going to apply the film to other festivals such as “CPH:DOX” and “Sheffield DocFest”.